Former Patriots QB Ryan Mallet passed away tragically on Tuesday afternoon in a drowning incident in Florida.

There had been reports over the past several weeks of dozens of drownings in the rough seas of the panhandle in double red flag conditions. Mallett and a group of others were caught in a riptide and were struggling to make it to shore around 2 p.m., per CNN.

By the time lifeguards pulled him out of the water, he was not breathing. He later passed away at a local hospital. Mallet was only 35 years old, and had just become head coach of his local high school football team back in Arkansas.

The Patriots released a statement on Ryan Mallet’s passing and offered their condolences, per Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.

“The New England Patriots are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden and unexpected passing of former quarterback Ryan Mallett. Our thoughts are with the Mallett family, his former teammates and all who are mourning his loss.”

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Mallett was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, to play as a backup to Tom Brady. He was a part of the team for three years, before spending several seasons with the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens until his retirement in 2018.

Many former Patriots players and teammates of Mallett's gave their condolences online after this tragic incident. One of these included star JJ Watt, who Mallett threw his first career touchdown to on a trick play.

Another former Arkansas football player Peyton Hillis was involved in a similar drowning incident in the Florida panhandle earlier this year, and was lucky to survive with a miracle recovery after being hospitalized in the ICU for 10 days.